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Enlarge ImageRequest to buy this photoFILE PHOTOIn August, the algae bloom in the western basin of Lake Erie was clearly visible from space. Experts say the problem in the lake is growing and threatens the area’s $10 billion tourism industry.

State environmental officials say that
Lake Erie’s toxic algae blooms have never been worse and warn that fish and billions of dollars in
tourism revenue are at risk.

The level of phosphorus, which feeds algae blooms, is above safe levels in nearly every section
of the lake, according to a report presented yesterday by Roger Knight, Lake Erie program
administrator for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

“The trends are moving in the wrong direction no matter where on the lake you go,” Knight said
at a meeting of the Lake Erie Commission in Columbus. “We are way above targets.”

Analyses show numbers of walleye and yellow perch — the lake’s most-lucrative sport-fish species
— drop significantly as the level of algae rises.

That affects the lake’s $10 billion annual tourism industry.

“We saw things this summer that were unreal,” said Jack Madison, general manager of a marina in
Ottawa County.

“People could set beer cans on the algae. It is that thick.”

Blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, are common in most Ohio lakes but grow thick in water
polluted with phosphorus from fertilizer, manure and sewage that rains wash into streams. The algae
can excrete liver and nerve toxins that can sicken people, kill pets and threaten fish and
wildlife.

Knight said one reason for the spike in phosphorus levels is greater runoff of farm fertilizer
this year because of record rainfall.

Complicating matters is that much of the phosphorus in Lake Erie is dissolved in the water,
which makes it immediately available to feed algae growth. Particulate phosphorus — phosphorus that
has chemically bonded to dirt or plants — is less potent and accessible to algae.

“Dissolved phosphorus is the issue,” said Scott Nally, director of the Ohio Environmental
Protection Agency, who added that his office will submit a proposal to counteract the Lake Erie
pollution to Gov. John Kasich by February.

Algae warning signs were posted at public beaches in eight state parks, including along Lake
Erie, this past summer.

“It used to be, years ago, that people would call and ask, ‘Are the fish biting?’ ” said Dave
Spangler, president of the Lake Erie Waterkeepers, a group advocating preservation of the
watershed.

“Now, the first question is, ‘How bad is the algae?’ ”

Spangler said waterfront business is down nearly 30 percent and that he’d like to see state
officials tackle the problem with greater urgency.

The state spent $3.5 million this year to spray alum to counteract phosphorus in Grand Lake St.
Marys, where algae grew so thick in 2010 that visitors were told not to touch the water.

“We had a bloom in October (in Lake Erie) that was so thick that it slowed our boats down,”
Spangler said. “We’d like an all-hands-on-deck effort like we saw at St. Marys.”